A Sneak Peek at Seared, Cowabunga’s Surf and Turf Extravaganza

Poke and poutine await.

Cowabunga’s surf and turf kick-off event won’t exactly be the bib-toting steakhouse type with filet mignon and lobster tails (not that there’s anything wrong with that.) Things are just a little weirder—and much more delicious—at Portland Monthly’s second-annual beef-loving food fest. Imagine Poison Waters, Portland’s drag queen extraordinaire, arriving on the back of a pickup in all her glory while you munch Oregon albacore from Bamboo Sushi and beef tenderloin from up-and-coming Proletariat Butchery. That’s more the speed we’re talking about at July 12th’s Seared event.

For the uninitiated, Cowabunga is Portland Monthly’s three-day, all-you-can-devour culinary bender, hosted at Rossi Farms Friday-Sunday, July 12-14. This bucolic veggie and fruit patch in outer Northeast’s Parkrose hood will host a “farm to fork” lineup of chefs, butchers, farmers, food artisans, bartenders, and brewers, all bent on celebrating the best food and drink in the Pacific Northwest. Tickets to Cowabunga 2019 are available now. Score your spot at individual events or, better yet, buy a pass to the whole darn weekend.

Bamboo Sushi Portland sustainable seafood favorite is throwing down in the form of poke (available all the time at their two Quickfish locations), from Hawaiian Kanpachi with yuzu juice and truffle salt to a miso-citrus coho salmon number holding cucumber, nori, and pickled ginger.

La Moule The Clinton street mussel-and-frites operation is going full-on Canadian (La Moule chef Aaron Barnett is from there) with a poutine extravaganza. Expect something, cheesy, meaty, and delicious. Past poutine inspirations have included a Chicago-style version with green relish and sausage, and a Moroccan poutine with spicy merguez. Mmm.

King Tide Southwest waterfront’s summer escape is all about halibut and chorizo tacos with guava and serrano salsa, and a hamachi tostada with avocado habanero mousse, and morita peanut salsa.

Proletariat Butchery Zeph Shepard, one of Portland’s rising butchers, will represent his whole animal butchery philosophy with beef tenderloin and sausage—although the juicy details are still under wraps.